We started by giving the children an opportunity to play Picaria Quad, a game we invented as a family on 18 November 2018. This variation on Picaria gives each player four counters and the winner is the first to make a square or rectangle. We started by asking the children to find all the squares and rectangles on the board. They did well, but needed a bit of help to see the ones that are set at an angle.

We then played a few 5 in a row games. I describe Pentago, Cavendish and Pente in the blog posting below, so will avoid repetition here. It is interesting to see the similarities in how adults and children approach these games. Whatever the age, some players will approach with caution, mull over their options, and learn from their mistakes. Some will also throw themselves straight in and ignore your strategic tips. Although so far only the children have spontaneously hummed the Imperial March leitmotif from the Star Wars theme while playing.